Sunday, July 31, 2016

GREEK CHICKEN GYROS WITH TZAZIKI
Olivia found this great recipe at www.recipeineat.com. I'm pretty much in love with what this recipe calls "greek salad," but Olivia is not so she ingeniously substituted sauteed red bell peppers and onions. It looks like a delicious recipe to me no matter which version you wish to use.

As with most Greek food, this recipe is alive with flavor from the garlic, vinegar, lemon juice, yogurt, etc, If you are looking for something a little different in your casual dining fare, this is it. Enjoy!

Place the Marinade ingredients in a ziplock bag and massage to mix. Add the chicken into the ziplock bag and massage to cover all the chicken in the Marinade. Marinate for at least 2 hours, preferably 3 hours, ideally 12 hours and no longer than 24 hours.

Make the Tzatziki

Cut the cucumber in half lengthwise. Use a teaspoon to scrape the watery seeds out. Coarsely grate the cucumber using a box grater. Then wrap in paper towels or a tea towel and squeeze to remove excess liquid.

Place cucumber in a bowl. Add remaining ingredients then mix to combine. Set aside for at least 20 minutes for the flavours to meld.

Salad

Combine ingredients in a bowl.

Cook Chicken

Brush the outdoor grill with oil, then preheat on medium high. Or heat 1 tbsp of oil in a fry pan over medium high heat.

Remove chicken from Marinade. Cook the chicken for 2 to 3 minutes on each side, until golden brown and cooked through (cooking time depends on size of chicken).

Remove the chicken from the grill / fry pan onto a plate. Cover loosely with foil and allow to rest for 5 minutes before serving.

Assemble Gyros

If your chicken thighs are large, you may need to cut them. Mine were small.

Get a pita bread or flatbread (preferably warmed) and place it on a piece of parchment (baking) paper (or you could use foil). Place some Salad down the middle of the bread, then top with chicken and Tzatziki.

Roll the wrap up, enclosing it with the parchment paper. Twist the end with the excess parchment paper to secure it.

I prefer to lay everything out on a table and let everyone help themselves.

Sunday, July 24, 2016

BUTTER PARMESAN POTATOES
Olivia found this simple but profoundly delicious recipe at www.givinguponperfection.com and she says it is a winner! With only four ingredients and a little time spent in the oven, you can transform boring potatoes to extraordinary potatoes. Experiment with different seasonings. You might even try experimenting with roasting other vegetables this way (adjusting the time in the oven accordingly of course). This would be great with any of your summer time grilled meat favorites. Enjoy!
-Nanette

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Wash and cut your potatoes in half (or quarters if they aren’t really “small” potatoes). Melt the butter and pour into a 9×13 inch pan. Mix together Parmesan and seasonings (you can use whatever floats your boat, but I chose garlic), then sprinkle the mixture generously over the butter. Place the potatoes face down on the butter. Bake for 40-45 minutes. Serve with sour cream.

Sunday, July 17, 2016

GOLDEN GLOW STYLE CHICKEN
This time of year in our part of the country there is a company that helps people with fundraisers by selling a delicious grilled chicken on street corners throughout the town. The following recipe is one Olivia found on www.food.com that comes very close to mimicking that famous chicken. This particular recipe calls for baking the chicken, but you might experiment with grilling it if you like. You can use part of the sauce for marinating, part for basting, and some for dipping if you like, just be sure not to use the marinade as a dip! That could have unhealthy results!

If you have never tried this kind of chicken, you are in for a treat! It is moist and savory and the vinegar and worcestershire makes an awesome combination. We hope you are enjoying your summer and all the delightful food it has to offer.

GOLDEN GLOW STYLE CHICKEN
This time of year in our part of the country there is a company that helps people with fundraisers by selling a delicious grilled chicken on street corners throughout the town. The following recipe is one Olivia found on www.food.com that comes very close to mimicking that famous chicken. This particular recipe calls for baking the chicken, but you might experiment with grilling it if you like. You can use part of the sauce for marinating, part for basting, and some for dipping if you like, just be sure not to use the marinade as a dip! That could have unhealthy results!

If you have never tried this kind of chicken, you are in for a treat. It is moist and savory and the vinegar and worcestershire makes an awesome combination. We hope you are enjoying your summer and all the delightful food it has to offer.

Monday, July 4, 2016

BACON WRAPPED GRILLED SHRIMP
Olivia found this great recipe on the www.greenmountaingrills.com site. Although Olivia does a lot of meat smoking, this recipe is meant to be grilled on any grill you have. She said they are really good, but next time she makes them she plans to give them even more kick by adding a bit of honey to the lime and pineapple juice and maybe adding just a pinch of ancho chili pepper. Either way you can't go wrong with this recipe. After you try this, you may come up with your own variation that suits your tastes. Let's face it the basics of shrimp and bacon mean success no matter what you do to it. Summer is here and that mean's grilling! Add this recipe to your repertoire and you won't be sorry. Happy grilling!
-Nanette *

BACON WRAPPED GRILLED SHRIMP

Ingredients:

1 lb Uncooked Shrimp

1 lb. Thin Cut Bacon

Lime Juice

Pineapple Juice

Bacon-Wrapped Shrimp is the perfect appetizer for your next meal. These bite size morsels can complement a variety of meals and are perfect for parties or gatherings. Use extra jumbo (16-20 shrimp per lb.), jumbo (21-25 pcs/lb) or extra large (26-30 pcs/lb). You can usually buy these frozen, peeled and de-veined. Or you can buy them fresh and do that work yourself.Bacon-Wrapped Shrimp is the perfect appetizer for your next meal. These bite size morsels can complement a variety of meals and are perfect for parties or gatherings. Use extra jumbo (16-20 shrimp per lb.), jumbo (21-25 pcs/lb) or extra large (26-30 pcs/lb). You can usually buy these frozen, peeled and de-veined. Or you can buy them fresh and do that work yourself.

Thoroughly Clean Shrimp and Remove Shells and Tails

Buy very thin bacon and grill 1/2 slice per shrimp on a frogmat at 275°F (135°C) until it is almost edible. Let the bacon cool a few minutes until it is easy to handle. Clean the bacon grease off of the grease tray.

Drizzle a small amount of lime juice and pineapple juice on the shrimp.

Wrap each shrimp tightly with 1/2 slice of the bacon. If you wrap very tightly you will not need toothpicks, but if you need to use them, pre-soak for 20-30 minutes in cold water.

Grill at 425 for 5-7 minutes per side until the shrimp is pink and the bacon crisp. Don’t overcook the shrimp as they will get rubbery and chewy.er side until the shrimp is pink and the bacon crisp. Don’t overcook the shrimp as they will get rubbery and chewy.